The present invention generally relates to display control apparatuses, display control methods and computer program products, and more particularly to a display control apparatus and a display control method which convert a character string made up of a mixture of characters having a plurality of different character attributes into a character string made up of characters having a unified character attribute and displays the character string with the unified character attribute, and to a computer program product for realizing such a conversion and display of the character string.
Recently, information processing equipments such as personal computers and word processors have become inexpensive, thereby increasing the use of such information processing equipments professionally in industry and personally at homes. In a multi-window system, it has become possible to treat data in which various attribute information coexist, the attribute information being the type of character, size of character and the like. Therefore, there are increasing demands to efficiently enlarge or reduce the data to make the data easily readable on a display.
According to the conventional multi-window system, the character types (or font types) and the character sizes are various even within one window. However, when enlarging the display of the window, the characters within the window are enlarged by the same magnification regardless of the font types and the character sizes. For this reason, when different font types and/or character sizes coexist within the window, the enlargement of the characters by the same magnification resulted in the display of characters having various different sizes within the window. In addition, even if the characters within the window are slanted, rotated or colored by a color which is difficult to see, such characters are also uniformly enlarged by the same magnification and displayed.
Therefore, according to the conventional system, there was a problem in that the amount of information displayable within the window became insufficient when the characters within the window were enlarged, because the magnification was set in order to facilitate reading of the character having the smallest size and to the same value for all characters within the window regardless of the original font types, sizes, slants, rotations and colors. On the other hand, when the magnification was reduced to a value such that the character having the largest size within the window became more easily readable, there was a problem in that the character having the smallest size within the window became difficult to read even after the enlargement because of the reduced and insufficient magnification.
Further, there was another problem in that special font types such as slanted characters were difficult to read when enlarged.
Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide a novel and useful display control apparatus, display control method and computer program product, in which the problems described above are eliminated.
Another and more specific object of the present invention is to provide a display control apparatus, display control method and computer program product, which convert a character string made up of a mixture of characters having a plurality of different character attributes into a character string made up of characters having a unified character attribute and display the character string with the unified character attribute, so that the converted character string is easily readable when displayed and a large amount of information is displayable within a window even after the conversion.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a display control apparatus which controls attributes of characters to be displayed on a display unit, comprising storage means for storing predetermined attributes, converter means for converting attributes of each of characters making up an input character string by referring to the storage means so that characters making up a converted character string have the predetermined attribute, and means for outputting the converted character string for display on the display unit. According to the display control apparatus of the present invention, the input character string can be automatically displayed in a most easily readable and recognizable form, by converting the attributes of the characters making up the input character string using contents of the storage means and displaying the converted character string made up of the characters having a unified attribute that is easily readable and recognizable when displayed. In addition, it is possible to display a large amount of information in easily readable and recognizable form, even within a window having a limited area, for example, by displaying the converted character string.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a display control method which controls attributes of characters to be displayed on a display unit, copmrising the steps of storing predetermined attributes in storage means, converting attributes of each of characters making up an input character string by referring to the storage means so that characters making up a converted character string have the predetermined attribute, and outputting the converted character string for display on the display unit. According to the display control method of the present invention, the input character string can be automatically displayed in a most easily readable and recognizable form, by converting the attributes of the characters making up the input character string using contents of the storage means and displaying the converted character string made up of the characters having a unified attribute that is easily readable and recognizable when displayed. In addition, it is possible to display a large amount of information in easily readable and recognizable form, even within a window having a limited area, for example, by displaying the converted character string.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a computer program product having a computer readable medium having computer program logic recorded thereon for performing attribute conversion with respect to characters to be displayed on a display unit, comprising storage means for storing predetermined attributes, converter means for converting attributes of each of characters making up an input character string by referring to the storage means so that characters making up a converted character string have the predetermined attribute, and means for outputting the converted character string for display on the display unit. According to the computer program product of the present invention, the input character string can be automatically displayed in a most easily readable and recognizable form, by converting the attributes of the characters making up the input character string using contents of the storage means and displaying the converted character string made up of the characters having a unified attribute that is easily readable and recognizable when displayed. In addition, it is possible to display a large amount of information in easily readable and recognizable form, even within a window having a limited area, for example, by displaying the converted character string.
Other objects and further features of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.